The American Center for Justice (ACJ) released a field-based human rights report titled “They Were Rendered Homeless,” documenting the mass forced displacement, arbitrary home invasions, and intentional burning of civilian residences in the Jabal Al-Fors area of the Crater District, Aden Governorate. The report examines events following four days of intense urban combat that erupted on October 2, 2021, between rival armed formations affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council (STC)—specifically the Security Belt Forces and a faction commanded by the former head of Camp 20, Imam Al-Nubi. The hostilities in densely populated areas, including Al-Taweel Street, resulted in civilian casualties, extensive destruction of shops, residences, and vehicles, and the tactical exploitation of Jabal Al-Fors as an elevated firing position.
The field investigations conducted by ACJ’s monitoring team confirm that approximately 200 impoverished and marginalized families had resided on Jabal Al-Fors for years due to wartime economic hardship and displacement. On October 12, 2021, STC-affiliated military personnel accompanied by female police units raided these residences without judicial warrants or formal eviction notices. The forces ordered the families to vacate within 48 hours under the pretext of clearing informal settlements and searching for individuals tied to the earlier clashes. Upon the expiration of the deadline, armed squads mounted on military vehicles forcibly expelled the inhabitants, shattered doors and windows, and systematically set fire to 20 dwellings. In multiple documented instances, residents were coerced under direct threat of arms to burn down their own homes.
The report identifies severe compound violations resulting from this operation, including armed intimidation, family separations, the complete interruption of schooling for children, and the denial of shelter to vulnerable populations, including historically marginalized communities (Muhammasheen). Driven by a lack of financial means to secure alternative housing, several families returned to the charred sites the following day to erect rudimentary cloth tents. ACJ notes an absence of institutional support, legal protection, or emergency relief from local authorities and humanitarian agencies.
ACJ classifies these acts as severe breaches of domestic property protections, international human rights law, and international humanitarian standards safeguarding civilians from forced eviction, arbitrary displacement, and unwarranted property destruction. The Center recommends that the Southern Transitional Council immediately halt all forced displacement operations, facilitate the safe and unconditional return of displaced families to Jabal Al-Fors, provide prompt and equitable financial compensation for destroyed assets, and cease operating armed structures outside official state oversight. ACJ further calls on the Arab Coalition to terminate support for irregular armed formations, urges the National Commission of Inquiry (NCIAVHR) to launch a formal investigation into forced evictions in Aden and adjacent governorates, and appeals to international relief organizations to deliver urgent material aid to the affected victims.
Leave a Reply